


Ace's Vision

by ComicKhan



Category: I guess - Fandom, Stand By Me (1986)
Genre: Children and Teen, Coming of Age, Fiction, Gangs, Gangsters, Gen, Literature, Murder, Revenge, Short Stories, not really a stand by me fic but it could be if you wanted it to, prose
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-04-01 01:22:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4000591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ComicKhan/pseuds/ComicKhan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Max loses his best friend and role model Ace to a Gang murder, he seeks revenge. But along the way he learns things about Ace (and himself) that change everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ace's Vision

**Author's Note:**

> Hello 
> 
> So I'm a bit hesitant to post this because it's not Avenged Sevenfold or band related at all but I'm gonna anyway.
> 
> I wrote this for a final I had in creative writing last Thursday and it's not done but I couldn't finish before the deadline so I had to end it somewhere. 
> 
> So funny story about this, it was originally an entirely different story line; Ace was (and is) based on the character Ace from Stand By Me (though i didn't really say much of what he looked like; thats how i picture him in my mind at least). Max used to named Calvin and he and Ace used to be actual brothers traveling on a train to see their parents but the train was going to crash and I was going to have of them be killed. I went around asking all of my friends and even my economics teacher at one point which brother i should kill off. i told them i wanted to make it as sad as possible. They all started bouncing ideas off of one another one 4 days and a 12 page google document later, i have a completely different and an infinitely more sad story to write like 2 days before the deadline. I only got this far and this is what i turned in, but i have big plans for it.
> 
> whether or not i post the rest of it depends on how well this does so if you like it, please comment i would very very much appreciate it!!! Thanks everyone! 

"Ace?"

The bus was dark, silent as it trudged down the highway, the low, consistent sound of its wheels on the wet payment covering the quiet sounds of sleep from its occupants. A quiet voice reached out through the almost pitch blackness, breaking the peace and, when it earned no response, it tried again, a little louder but still cautious.

"Ace."

He knew, somewhere in his still-unconscious state, that someone was calling his name. And he recognized the voice. He knew the voice was important. But he was sleeping, damn it, and very few people could mess with his sleep and live to talk about it. He didn't take being woken from his slumber lightly.  
But he heard the voice again, low and insistent and, whether he liked it or not, he was drifting towards semi-awakeness. He groaned, shifting in his seat trying to find a more comfortable position to attempt to go back to sleep before he completely regained consciousness. But of course, the voice chose that moment to call yet again, and Ace's eyes snapped open.  
"What." It wasn't a question. It was more of an unhappy growl, low and rough. Threatening. The bus had better be on fire.

He knew Ace hated to be woken up, and normally he wouldn't bother him, but he just couldn't shake the images that had interrupted his own sleep and still haunted him. And the other man was already awake, so it was a bit too late now anyway. 

"Can...I sleep next to you?"

Once Ace consciously recognized the voice talking to him, his anger subsided. He was still annoyed at being dragged away from his sleep, but he could never stay mad at this particular person for too long. With a long, exaggerated sigh, Ace shifted his position to make room.

"Yeah, fine."

Ace saw Max's face appear in the darkness and Ace couldn't help but notice how pale he looked. Paler than usual. Immediately concerned, Ace reached out a hand, pulling Max into a hug as soon as he'd scooted himself closer.

"Max. What's wrong?"

Ace always knew it when something wasn't right. And he always seemed to know how to make it right. Ace heard Max sigh deeply and felt him melt deeper into the embrace, tucking his head against Ace’s neck and wrapping his arms around his body.

“Bad dream.” His words were quiet, nearly silent.  
But Ace heard him. Another bad dream? Max had been having them a lot, but this one must have been one hell of a bad dream to force him to wake Ace up. At fucking ass o’clock in the morning, no less. 

“What about?”

Max was quiet for a long time. It was scaring him to think about it, to picture it in his head. Putting it into words? It was going to sound stupid and Ace was going to be angry with him for waking him up over nothing and he was going to push him away and he was going to be alone, just like in his dream.

He hadn’t realized he’d begun to tremble until he felt Ace nudge him softly, having been patiently waiting for a response because if he had be to woken up at this time it’d better be for something good. Max squeezed his eyes shut, trying to fight back the tears that were beginning to form. 

“You…were gone. You were all gone. Everyone. You, Jett, Brady, Derek…and I couldn’t find any of you. I looked everywhere and I was calling but you weren’t there and I…”

Ace sighed softly, pulling Max closer to him and rubbing his back in small circles. He could feel his muscles, tight and tense, the faint trembling and the warm drops of dampness tracking down smooth cheeks that Max was trying to hide. He knew Max had issues with abandonment. He had a rough life. His parents weren’t around much. They were both doctors and were constantly in and out of the house; they didn’t pay Max any attention. He might as well not have any parents at all. Every now and then, Max’s anxieties crept up on him, and Ace would spend the day with him, doing whatever made him feel better. Most of the time that included playing video games. Ace would do whatever it took to reassure him that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Max looked up at Ace with damp blue eyes, searching his dark brown ones and Ace felt his heart lurch painfully in his chest at the sadness he saw there; the same sadness he could hear in his soft voice.

“Ace, I couldn’t find you.” Ace felt Max’s finger trace the outlines of the tattoos on his arm. He wrapped the arm around his still-trembling body and pushed him closer against him.

“I’m right here, Max. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

Max continued to tremble and shake for a little bit after they stopped talking, but Ace finally felt him relax against him. He assumed he had fallen asleep and tried to do the same himself. It proved to be rather difficult for Ace to go back to sleep once he had been pulled from it, so he just sat in silence, staring out the window of the bus and trying not to stir his sleeping friend. They couldn’t be too far away from Staten Island now, anyway. They were just in Manhattan meeting up with Jett, Derek, and Brady, Ace’s friends. It’s about a 45 minute ride from Jett’s place back to Max’s where Ace was going to drop him off. But they had stayed at Jett’s a little later than usual so they were both eager to get some sleep in before the bus came to a stop. 

Ace couldn’t tell if he actually managed to fall back asleep or not when he heard the bus’s tires screeching to a halt. He looked out the window and saw the familiar scenery of the neighborhood a few streets over from where Max lived. Ace waited until the other passengers got up and started making their way to the front of the bus, then nudged Max gently.

“Hey, buddy.” He whispered. Max groaned quietly and readjusted his position on Ace’s shoulder. Ace carefully moved the hair away from Max’s face. “Max. We’re here. You gotta wake up now.” Max groaned again and sat up. He rubbed the grogginess out of his eyes and stretched his arms out, yawning. Ace stood from his seat and slung Max’s small Power Rangers backpack over his shoulder. He looked down at Max, who was still seated, staring at a single spot on the floor and obviously still trying to wake himself up. Ace held out his hand for Max to take. “Come on, bud.” Max took Ace’s hand and stood, following behind him as they walked the narrow aisle way of the bus. When they got to the front, Ace let Max go in front of him. As Max exited, Ace pulled out his wallet to pay the driver. He looked regretfully inside the pocket and took out all he had left, which wasn’t much. He handed it to the driver and said his gratitude. Ace and Max began walking towards Max’s neighborhood. Ace reached into his pocket and pulled out his spare pack of cigarettes. He usually doesn’t smoke around Max, and had often told him of the dangers of smoking, but he needed to relax, and since they were out in the open streets of Staten Island, he figured it couldn’t do too much damage. He put a cigarette between his teeth and lit it. As he blew out a stream of smoke from his lungs, Ace wondered for a second if Max’s parents would be wondering where he was at 4 o’clock in the morning, but then he stopped himself. Max’s parents probably weren’t even home and if they were, they probably didn’t even notice Max wasn’t there. 

Ace grabbed a hold of Max’s hand once again, as Max was still basically half-asleep and falling behind. Where the bus let off, it wasn’t exactly a good neighborhood, and Ace would know. If Ace wasn’t there to protect Max, he didn’t even want to think about what would happen to him. They walked in silence. The only sound was the faint burning of Ace’s cigarette when he took a particularly large puff. He occasionally glanced down at Max, who was more often than not rubbing his eyes and yawning. When they got into an even worse part of town, Ace dropped Max’s hand and put his arm around him instead, pulling him up against his hip. Ace’s heart began to beat a little faster and his breath hitched as they turned down a particularly dark alleyway. He and Max had gone down this alleyway before and had been fine, but Ace had heard of recent muggings and murders in this area. He wished desperately there was another way they could go, but without a dime for a cab, it was the only way they had without going completely out of their way. He held Max a bit tighter, but he kept a straight face. He couldn’t let Max see that he was scared; that would make everything worse. 

It grew more difficult for Ace to hide his fear as they got further and further down the alley. The only light came from the end of Ace’s cigarette. Ace’s dark eyes kept scanning the length of the path, ready to jump on anyone who tries to attack them. His fear began to subside as they neared the end of the alley. He felt his muscles, who had been tensed up and had begun to ache, relax and he let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. They were both about to step out into the slightly illuminated streets when Ace saw something out of the corner of his eye. It was a flash of light. A small one, but it was there. It was more of a reflection, something shiny that caught the light of a nearby lamp post. Ace turned his head, and was immediately tackled to the ground.

“Shit!” He swore as his face hit the pavement. His arm had been twisted painfully behind his back and he felt a weight sitting on top of him. He jerked backward in an attempt to get the weight, which he assumed was a person, off him and find Max. He called out his name, still struggling against his attacker. He heard various shouts coming from voices he didn’t recognize, one coming from the man on top of him, telling him to stop talking. Ace looked around frantically for Max, but his line of vision was limited as the man hand his hand pinning Ace’s face to the ground. He called out for Max again, failing to hide the fear in his voice.

“Ace!” He heard Max’s voice. It was far away, and getting farther. Ace felt his stomach churn as he continued to fight against his attacker. He saw, just out of the corner of his eye, his still–lit cigarette, which must have fallen out of his mouth when he fell. He used his one free hand, the one that wasn’t finned to his back, to reach for it. He grunted as he strained his arm, trying to stretch it farther that it would go, but he eventually got a hold of it. In a sudden burst of strength, he pushed himself up, shoving the man on top of him to the ground. He pressed the lit cigarette to the man’s cheek, only pressing harder as he screamed. Ace dropped the cigarette and slammed his fist into the man’s cheek over and over until he lie unconscious on the pavement. Ace took off running in the opposite direction and found Max at the opposite end of the alley. He was pressed up against another man, dressed in all black, who had an arm wrapped around his neck. Max had tears streaming down his face; it reminded Ace of how he looked earlier on the bus. He was taking short, quick breaths, because that’s all he could manage. The man had his arm wrapped tightly around him, and that’s when Ace figured out what was making the reflection he noticed before. In the man’s hand was a rusted switchblade. Ace tried to slow his breathing; he could see Max staring at him, and he needed to be brave for him. He slowly raised both of his hands, palms facing up. 

“Please,” He said quietly. He tried to keep his voice from shaking, though he was too scared to notice if it did. “Please, just let the kid go.” The man sneered at him.

“What, does the high and mighty Ace have a soft spot?” Ace’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You were always so tough, never cared about anyone but yourself. Now what? You got this kid followin’ you around? What, this your son or somethin’?” 

“What are you talking about?” Ace took a step back.

“You don’t remember me, do you Ace?” The man began walking toward him kicking at Max’s heels, which caused him to whine and sob even more. “I would’ve thought you’d remember me, especially after what happened to CJ.” Ace’s heart leapt into his throat and his arms fell to his sides. He hadn’t heard anyone talk about CJ since the funeral. It was years ago, but it still pained Ace to think about it, even then. He clenched his teeth together hard. The only person who knew what happened to CJ was…

“Roberto?” The man let out a low, dark laugh. 

“What happened to you, man? Is this what you’ve been doin’ since you left? Babysittin’ some brat?”

“A-Ace,” Max sobbed, trembling in Roberto’s grip. Tears were rolling down his face. He made a desperate gasping sound as Roberto tightened his grip.

“Hey, cut that shit out, man!” Ace yelled. “You’re hurting him!”

“Who the fuck are you?” Roberto shouted loudly, surprising Ace a bit. “Five years ago I would’ve shanked this kid and you wouldn’t even give it a second thought. You used to be so tough, man. The best damn dealer The Snakes ever seen. Now look at you. Don’t think we didn’t notice you carryin’ around that Power Rangers backpack. God damn it, man. You were the last person I would’ve thought would go soft. What a fuckin’ let down.” He sighed and looked down at the terrified child in his arm. “Guess I know what I gotta do to turn you back.” Ace watched in horror as Roberto angled his knife and gripped it more tightly in his hand. Without even thinking twice, Ace lunged for Roberto, hitting him straight in the jaw with his fist. Roberto swore loudly and both his hands flew to his face. Ace turned to Max before Roberto regained awareness.

“Run!” Max stared at him, just for a split second, wide-eyed and still shaking, and took off running, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the gang member. Max got to the end of the alley and, before he turned the corner, he turned to look back at Ace. He saw him and Roberto wrestle. Roberto shoved Ace against the dirty brick wall, his arm pinning his chest in place. Max saw the shiny reflection of Roberto’s knife and watched in horror as Roberto plunged it deep into Ace’s chest


End file.
